I have shopped mattresses for a couple of months now and was within 12 hours of plunking down about $2,000 on a Stearns & Foster Estate model when I discovered Mattress Underground. Wow! I have read all the “pre-purchase” information suggested by Phoenix and have tried to find something similar to our favorite “SSS” mattresses (S&F Estate Luxury Firm or Sealy Postur. Plus Cushion Firm). What I have come up with is Denver Mattress Telluride Plush, which we have been able to lay on, and Artisan House which I have only read about, but I did find an Austin-area store that carries it. I live in Midland, TX 79701 so there are not many “independents” out here. I would need to travel to expand my horizons. Can anyone tell me their opinion on the Artisan House mattresses? On Sleep-Designs’ website they described it as pocketed coil with Talalay Latex, HD memory foam and micro-coils. If I hear good things about it, I’m willing to drive to Austin.
Plan B: My woodworking husband is concerned that we will have to disassemble a beautiful waterbed frame and headboard which he made many years ago since there are so few waterbed insert mattresses available. Denver Mattress also makes one which we tested and is very comfortable (we both liked the support of the Telluride somewhat better). The insert mattress is a Euro top with some HD convoluted foam and alternating coils.
The Telluride construction is:
Quilt Layers:
Stretch Knit Ticking
1 1/2" of 1.8lb Density Convoluted EF Foam
1" EF Foam
Natural Rayon Fire Barrier
Comfort Layers:
2" of 100% Natural HeveaPUR™
1 1/4" of 1.8lb Density Convoluted EF Foam
1 Flex Net Insulator
Support System:
Coil Density: 1080* Individually Wrapped
Foam Encased Coils
16 Gauge Tempered Steel
*ALL coil counts are based on Queen Size mattress coil counts. Please ask your salesperson for details.
The waterbed insert mattress (70 x 82 x 13) is constructed:
Quilt layers:
Micro Denier Jacquard Ticking
1 1/2" of 1.8lb Density Convoluted EF Foam
1" EF Foam
Natural Rayon Fire Barrier
Comfort Layers:
2" of 1.8lb Density Convoluted EF Foam
2" of 1.8lb Density Convoluted EF Foam
1 Fiber Pad
Support System:
Coil Density: 750* Pressure Response Zoned Coils
14.5 Gauge Twice Tempered Steel
*All coil counts based on Queen size. Ask your salesperson for details.
I would love to hear your thoughts. Are my local choices good, or should I travel? I am about 4+ hours from Fort Worth and 5 hours from Austin. By the way, my husband weights 220 lbs. and I weight 120 and we both side-sleep (more) and back-sleep also.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Midland, TX area (subject to making sure that any mattress you consider meets the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in post #2 here.
[quote]The Telluride construction is:
Quilt Layers:
Stretch Knit Ticking
1 1/2" of 1.8lb Density Convoluted EF Foam
1" EF Foam
Natural Rayon Fire Barrier
Comfort Layers:
2" of 100% Natural HeveaPUR™
1 1/4" of 1.8lb Density Convoluted EF Foam
1 Flex Net Insulator
Support System:
Coil Density: 1080* Individually Wrapped
Foam Encased Coils
16 Gauge Tempered Steel
*ALL coil counts are based on Queen Size mattress coil counts. Please ask your salesperson for details.
The waterbed insert mattress (70 x 82 x 13) is constructed:
Quilt layers:
Micro Denier Jacquard Ticking
1 1/2" of 1.8lb Density Convoluted EF Foam
1" EF Foam
Natural Rayon Fire Barrier
Comfort Layers:
2" of 1.8lb Density Convoluted EF Foam
2" of 1.8lb Density Convoluted EF Foam
1 Fiber Pad
Support System:
Coil Density: 750* Pressure Response Zoned Coils
14.5 Gauge Twice Tempered Steel
*All coil counts based on Queen size. Ask your salesperson for details.[/quote]
1.8 lb polyfoam is generally a good quality material that wouldn’t be a “weak link” in a mattress and would be suitable for most people that aren’t in higher weight ranges (see the guidelines here) but a convoluted foam will also be less durable than a non convoluted layer of the same material (see post #2 here) so in real life it would be more comparable to a slightly lower density foam.
The Telluride has 2 3/4" of the 1.8 lb convoluted polyfoam so while it would be a better quality and more durable choice than most of its mainstream competitors that use less durable materials, I would be cautious here because 1.8 lb polyfoam is the lowest density I would consider in a one sided mattress (unless there is only about “an inch or so” of lower quality materials) and with the convoluting it would be “on the edge” (and on the wrong side of the edge for your husband especially) of having a weak link in the design because the effective density of the convoluted layers would be less than 1.8 lb.
The waterbed insert has 5 1/2" of convoluted 1.8 lb polyfoam in the upper layers which would be more than I would be comfortable with.
As you probably know from your reading here … I can’t speak to whether any mattress will be “comfortable” or would be a good “match” in terms of PPP for someone else but if you can find out all the specs and information listed here about the layers and components in the Artisan mattress then I’d certainly be happy to make some comments about the quality and durability or the materials and the mattress “as a whole”. Without this information it’s not possible to make any meaningful comments about the quality or durability of the materials in a mattress.
I don’t keep a record of the individual mattresses that the retailers and manufacturers in the hundreds of forum lists throughout the forum carry on their floor (it would be a bigger job than anyone could keep up with in a constantly changing market) but checking their websites and making some preliminary phone calls to the retailers/manufacturers that are on the forum list that are in reasonable driving distance is always a good idea before you visit any store anyway. This will tell you which of them carry mattresses that would meet your specific criteria, are transparent about the quality and durability of the materials in their mattresses (see this article), and that carry the type of mattresses that you are interested in testing in the budget range you are comfortable with. Once you have checked their websites and/or talked with the ones that interest you then you will be in a much better position to decide on the ones that you are most interested in visiting based on the results of your preliminary research and conversations.
If your research indicates that there is nothing local to you that you are interested in purchasing and you decide to broaden your search and do some travelling then some of the other forum lists that may be of interest are the Lubbock/Amarillo list in post #2 here, the Abilene list in post #7 here, the Dallas/Ft Worth list in post #4 here, and the Austin/San Antonio list in post #2 here.
Thank you so much. I forgot about Lubbock and Abilene. They are much closer. I always think of Austin because my son is there so I get to visit. him also. I have already visited many of the websites listed in several posts. I will now start calling and deciding whom to visit. Thanks! P.S. My son just bought a new mattress at Urban Mattress in Austin and was very pleased with both the mattress choices and the knowledgeable sales people.
I’m also looking for a California King mattress to sit inside a waterbed frame. The inside dimensions of the waterbed frame are 72"x84"-the exact dimensions of the Cal King mattress. I’ve called several mattress shops who just give me the usual dimensions of the Cal King. How can I find out about other shops? I’m living in Cincinnati, OH and am moving to Chattanooga, TN so could look in either area.
There is more information in post #2 here about buying a waterbed insert that should be helpful.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Cincinnati, OH area (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets your criteria and the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in post #212 here.
The forum list for the Chattanooga, TN area is in post #2 here.
You may need to make a few calls to see which of them can make (or order) a custom size mattress for a waterbed insert but most factory direct mattress manufacturers can make custom sizes for their mattresses.
I looked up and called some of the mattress factories, visited 2, and found a great mattress. I was really impressed by the mattress factories and have told friends and family about this site and buying from a mattress factory… I did go with the smaller size Cal King for my waterbed frame and it fits perfectly. Definitely the right decision. Thanks for all of your help!
Update: I ultimately bought two mattresses: I bought the Artisan House in a queen, which I love. I also bought a Denver Mattress waterbed insert because we did not want to discard our finely-woodworked waterbed frame. The Cal-king size mattress fits perfectly in the frame with just enough room to change the sheets. It is very comfortable. My favorite is the Artisan House which has the pocketed coils with a later of HD foam on top. It is equally comfortable for back or side sleeping. I traveled to northwest of Austin to buy the Artisan House, but it has been worth it. I REALLY appreciate this website for educating me and helping me decide what I really wanted and why. I waited a long time to post after I bought the mattresses to be sure they did not prematurely develop any problems. None so far.
Thank you for taking the time to post an update on your Artisan House and Denver mattress. I’m happy that each are still performing well for you. I’m also happy that the information here was assistive to you in your mattress research process.
We’ve been trying a lot of mattresses, and I was specifically looking at latex. One we found that has good comfort for our size difference was the Denver Telluride. I’m 6’4" 255lbs, she’s 5’5" 112lbs. Looks like the specs changed a little from above:
Construction
Thanks Sweet Dreams for stepping in to help. The durability of the Serene Comfort foam layer should be sufficient, the potential structural concern we see is having a 3" layer of 14ILD latex. 14ILD is very soft. Even in a Dunlop process, the density of this layer may lead to longer-term challenges, specifically the use of 3" of 14ILD sandwiched between the lower density memory foam and the coil system may lead to a “sink hole” condition over time. A sink hole is different than a body impression in that it’s not as visibly noticeable on the mattress surface, but it has a similar result, the collapse of the foam cell structure in the mattress area where you are sleeping. We suggest you discuss this with the retailer and see how it applies to the warranty. As a private label mattress, we would suspect that long-term durability testing (such as Cornell/Rollator testing) has not been completed on this mattress design.
The Telluride appears to be a very plush (soft) mattress with a combined 5.5" comfort layer over a 15.5 gauge pocketed coil system.
I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t comfortable with this build. So we went out and tested out some more mattresses. Ended up really liking some TempurPedic mattresses, but didn’t like the price. I did some reading on Christeli, and we ended up pulling the trigger on one that matched a Tempur we liked. It should arrive next week sometime, and we’ll see how it goes!
